Improvement in governors



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEe ENOS ADAMS, OF BENNINGTON, VERMONT.

IMPROVEMENT IN GOVERNORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 152,938, dated July 14,1874; application filed January 17, 1874.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, ENOS ADAMS, ofBennington, Vermont, have invented an Improved Governor, of which thefollowing is a specification:

This invention is an improvement upon the governors heretofore patentedto Hervey D. Snow, and known in the market as Snows Water-WheelGovernors 5 and the nature of the invention consists in attaching to thesemicircular disk by means of which the operation of the pawls which actupon the ratchet-wheel attached to or connected with the gate-hoistingapparatus in said Snows governors, a device for controlling or regu-)ating the speed at which it is desired to run the wheel or other motorwith which the governor is connected.

ln the accompanying drawing l have shown a side elevation of suchworking parts of a governor as are designed to be controlled by theoperation of my devices.

1n the drawing,f is a stand or base upon which the mechanism rests. Uponthis base rests the arched standard B', the top of which is shown at theline no, and upon and within which the governor proper and the mechanismby which it is operated are located and attached. All the working partsof this governor and the apparatus connected with it for hoisting andlowering the gate are substantially the same as those heretoforeconstructed, sold, and known as Snows waterwheel governors.

Governors of this description are usually constructed and geared to runat a rate of speed restricted within certain limits, and all the partsare adjusted so that this range of speed cannot be deviated fromwithoutchanging the construction of some of the working parts. By the use of mynew mechanism, if, for instance, a governor is adjusted to regulaterunning at a speed of one hundred and forty revolutions per minute, andit admits of running up to one hundred and sixty and still govern, I canchange and vary the running speed of the governor within these limits byplacing the weight E at any desired point on the bar G, as may be foundnecessary, so as to accomplish just the result desired wit-houtalteration or substitution of any of the segmental ends of the arms r r,which carry the balls Z Z. As the centrifugal force throws out the ballswhen running, the rod V is depressed, and when the balls are depressedthe rod is raised. The lower end of the rod V is pivoted at k to the endof the short arm of the lever N, working on the fulcrum B. The oppositeend of this lever is connected with the disk A by the connecting-rod M.The periphery of the disk A coincides with or projects a little abovethe ends of the teeth of Y the ratchet-wheel B, except a portion thereofbetween the points y y, which is cut away so that when the disk isrotated either to the right or left ot' its position when the governoris running at the required speed, one or the other of the pawls C O willen gage the ratchetwheel B, thereby causing the same to be rotated untilthe normal rate of speed is re-established. The space between the pointsy y is so arranged with reference to the action of the pawls O O uponthe ratchet-wheel B that when the governor is running at regular speedthe pawls work upon the outer periphery of the disk and do not engagethe teeth of the ratchet at all. The disk A has a partial rotation aboutthe shaft F, which shaft communicates to or with the gate-hoistingapparatus. Upon this shaft and firmly attached to the same is theratchet-wheel B, and on the back side of the ratchet-wheel, or oppositeto the disk A, pivoted upon the shaft F, is the oscillatin gpawl-carrier D. To this pawl-carrier D are attached the pawls C (l. Areciprocating motion is communicated tothe pawls by means of the pitmanK, one end of which is attached to a projection on the end of thepawl-carrier and the other end to a crank or eccentric on the shaft uponwhich the spur-gear T revolves. The gear T is actuated by a pinion-gear,t, on the driving-shaft U. G is a bar spanning the disk A just above itsaxis, upon which is a sliding weight, E, which may be set at any pointupon the bar above or on either side of the center of the disk. H is aprojecting arm of the disk A, upon which a weight, I, is placed, whichmay be set at any point on the arm and held in place by the sctscrew J.Another similar arm and weight may be attached to the opposite side toattain a contrary result. The lever N is constructed with a longitudinalslot extending from the fulcrum R outwardly nearly to the extremity ofthe long arm. A weight, I), may be attached at any point along this slotby means of the clamp-screw Q. Ihe functions of the weights I and I),attached in the manner described, are to counteract the downwardmovement of the spindle V, occasioned by the centrifugal movement of theballs Z Z when the governor is running. These two weights, applied inthe manner shown, can exert a, force in but one direction, and that isin opposition to the upward movement of the balls when there is anacceleration of speed. The sliding weight E on the bar G may perform adouble function. It can. be set on the outer or lefthand side of theshaft F, whenfit will operate to accomplish the same results as eitheror both ofthe weights I and I?. Vhen adjusted precisely over the shaftI" it exerts no controlling iniiuence upon the movements of the ballsofthe governor; but when set on the inner or right-hand side of thecenter, it acts to assist an upward or increased centrifugal movement ofthe balls and consequently of the water-wheel.

It is frequently desirable to obtain an increased or diminished rate ofspeed in opera ting machinery, without being obliged to resort to achange of belt-pulleys or driving-gear connected with or constituting apart of the mechanism of the governor, and without stopping the wheel.This is readily accomplished by the adjustment of the weight E on thebar G.

I am aware that weights have heretofore been attached to levers pivotedat one end to throttle-valve stems of steam-governors so arranged thatthe amount of resistance to bc overcome by the governor to establishuniformity of action could be regulated by moving theweight nearer to orfarther from the `fulcrum; but in all such devices the action of theweight has been in one direction only and that opposite to the upward oraccelerated movement of the governor-balls.

I claim- The barV G and weight E, attached to the disk A, in combinationwith the reciprocating arm ]),pawls G G, and lever N, as described.

ENOS ADAMS.

lVitnesses ORIN D. ADAMS, F. M. Anims.

